Yakitori Recipe

The best part of making yakitori at home is watching a few ordinary ingredients turn into something so deeply savory and glossy. This version uses about 1½ pounds of chicken thighs, which stay juicy over high heat, along with sliced scallions tucked between the pieces. The skewers are brushed with a simple tare made from sake, mirin, soy sauce, and a generous ½ cup of sugar. That sugar gives the sauce its characteristic lacquered finish, while the sake and mirin keep it from tasting one-dimensionally sweet. Cut the chicken into fairly even, bite-size pieces so the smaller bits don’t dry out before the larger ones are cooked through. I like to alternate chicken and scallion on the skewers, leaving a little space between pieces for the heat to circulate. As the skewers cook, brush them with the sauce in thin layers rather than coating them heavily at the beginning. The tare will caramelize quickly, and several light applications create a sticky, dark glaze without burning the sugar. The finished chicken should have lightly charred edges, tender centers, and scallions that are soft and sweet with a few browned spots. The most useful practical tip is to simmer the sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar briefly before you start cooking, then let the mixture cool enough to handle. Reserve some sauce separately for brushing at the table; never reuse the portion that has touched raw chicken. If you’re using a broiler or grill pan instead of an outdoor grill, keep the skewers close to the heat and turn them frequently. Wooden skewers should be soaked first, and if they extend beyond the pan, wrap the exposed ends in foil to prevent scorching. Keep an eye on the last few minutes, since the sugar can go from beautifully caramelized to bitter surprisingly fast. Yakitori makes a relaxed dinner with steamed rice, miso soup, and a crisp cucumber salad, and the sweet-salty tare is especially good alongside plain rice that can catch every drop. It’s also excellent with cold beer, sake, or a lightly chilled Japanese lager. Serve the skewers as soon as they’re done, while the glaze is shiny and the chicken is still juicy. With 30 minutes of preparation and about 15 minutes of cooking, this is an easy weeknight meal, but it also feels special enough for a casual weekend dinner.